Players to watch: No. 16 Notre Dame vs. No. 19 Oregon State - InsideNDSports: Notre Dame Fighting Irish Football & Basketball Recruiting

Published Dec 29, 2023

Players to watch: No. 16 Notre Dame vs. No. 19 Oregon State

Charleston Bowles • InsideNDSports

Recruiting Writer

Unlike its traditional rivalry games against USC and Stanford, Notre Dame football will get a fresh look at a West Coast program on Friday, when it suits up against Oregon State for the third time in school history, in the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas.

The No.16-ranked Irish roster looks different after experiencing opt-outs and transfer portal departures after the completion of head coach Marcus Freeman's second regular season with a 9-3 record. New wide receivers coach Mike Brown is expected to make his Irish coaching debut ,overseeing the wide receiver room, and quarterback Steve Angeli will receive his first career start.

After losing former head coach Jonathan Smith to Michigan State, No. 19 Oregon State (8-4) underwent a roster overhaul of its own and will trot out several new starters on both sides of the ball under interim head coach Kefense Hynson.

Inside ND Sports names two players from each side who could be important in Friday’s result. Kickoff is at 2 p.m. EST on CBS.

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Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love

Quarterbacks coach Gino Guidugli, who will act as offensive coordinator against the Beavers, won't put everything on Angeli's shoulders in his first start. Angeli doesn't have the luxury of handing off to leading rusher Audric Estimé, as Sam Hartman did, but running backs coach Deland McCullough has the next member of his stable ready to go.

Love, a true freshman, will start in Estimé's place and get his opportunity at the No. 1 role — a job he could hold in 2024. The 5-foot-11, 197-pound Love had 56 carries for 346 carries this season and averaged over seven yards per carry in five different games.

The St. Louis Christian Brothers High product is expected to share duties with sophomores Gi'Bran Payne and Jadarian Price, but Love's agility and burst make him Notre Dame's deadliest weapon against Oregon State's run defense, especially if he breaks into the second level, as he did on a 36-yard touchdown against Tennessee State in September.

With only seven receptions on the season, Love's pass-catching skills out of the backfield may be called upon at a higher rate if Angeli can't find open receivers downfield. Love can also showcase his strides in pass protection, with two new starting offensive tackles — Charles Jagusah and Tosh Baker — facing a defensive unit that produced 36 sacks this season and that still has its starting defensive line intact.

Notre Dame linebacker Jaylen Sneed

Notre Dame's defense got a boost when veteran starters — including Howard Cross III, Rylie Mills and Javontae-Jean Baptiste — elected to participate in the Sun Bowl.

One player who decided to kickstart his NFL Draft prep and skip the Sun Bowl was linebacker Marist Liufau, which left the door open for linebacker Jaylen Sneed to start in his place against the Beavers.

Although Sneed's playing time and usage fluctuated throughout parts of the regular season, the sophomore out of Hilton Head Island (S.C.) High has played a specific role for defensive coordinator Al Golden. According to Pro Football Focus, Sneed was sent as a pass rusher on 69 of his 199 snaps — which was more than defensive tackles Jason Onye and Gabe Rubio and linebacker Jack Kiser.

Sneed has the tools to emerge as a starter in his third year with Notre Dame, but before he can assume the role, he must combine his aggressiveness with playing fundamentally sound against the run and pass.

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Oregon State wide receiver Silas Bolden

In cornerback Cam Hart's absence, Notre Dame is expected to give reps to cornerbacks Jaden Mickey and Christian Gray opposite of regular starter Benjamin Morrison. Bolden is Oregon State's leading receiver heading into this matchup and ended the regular season eclipsing 50 receiving yards or more in four of the Beavers' last six games.

Bolden is undersized, at 5-8, but he's shifty and could become a priority target underneath for new starting quarterback Ben Gulbranson, who is taking over after the transfer departures of DJ Uiagalelei and Aidan Chiles. Gulbranson and Bolden have familiarity from Oregon State's 2022 season in which Gulbranson was an injury replacement for an eight-game stretch and connected with Bolden for three touchdowns, including one score during the Beavers' Las Vegas Bowl victory over Florida last December.

Oregon State linebacker Andrew Chatfield Jr.

While both rosters break in younger players or reserves for their first meaningful game action, Chatfield isn't a stranger to the bright lights. The former 2018 Rivals250 linebacker out of high school powerhouse Plantation (Fla.) American Heritage is concluding his fifth season of college football after starting at Florida from 2018-20.

Chatfield had a career-best nine sacks in the regular season and earned a 78.0 pass-rush grade from PFF, second-highest on the Beavers roster. Chatfield can blitz off the edge, shoot gaps or drop back in coverage and patrol the middle of the field.

The Irish must account for Chatfield a little bit more than usual after the losses of junior tackles Joe Alt and Blake Fisher to the NFL Draft. Chatfield also impacts the game more than just rushing the passer. He forced two fumbles this season and had an interception against Stanford in November.

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